Ill 





^S^'-^-r:^ 



g^^^r 



lOTES ON IO¥A: 

WITH A. 

NEW AND BEAUTIFULLY ENGRAVED 



SHOWING THE STATE, COUNTY, AND TOWNSHIP LINES, 

PUBLIC ROADS, CONTEMPLATED RAILROADS, AND 

INCLUDING THE MOST RECENT SETTLEMENTS 

AND IMPMDVEMENTS : 



% 



GEORGE 



U. S. Deput^yI 



S\RGENT, 



NEW YORK: tO 

PUBLISHED BY BERFORD 

No. 2 AsTOR House. 




1848. 



o 









r^^ 



\. 






Entered according to Act of Congjwss, iiPtlie year 184S, 

By GEORGE B. SAI^N^^Q. 

In the Clerk's Office, of the District Coufv^theS^trict of Iowa 

o 



l-c 75-.:?'?64^/ 



i-iU 



\ 



PREFACKE. 



'\ 

The following notes, which have been throwij^,together 
to accompany and illustrate the Map, contain 'qisNinuch 
useful information as could well be condensed within the 
hmits of a pocket volume, vidthout converting it into a 
mere chapter of statistics. Most of the descriptions of the 
various Counties, are given from personal observation ; 
the writer, during a long residence in Iowa, having had 
occasion, in his capacity as a Government Surveyor, to 
traverse nearly every portion of the State. The article 
on the " Mississippi Valley and Atlantic Rail Road," 
though not perhaps properly included under the title of 
the volume, was added as likely to interest all who are 
concerned in the prosperity of the West. Particular at- 
tention is requested to this and the various other projected 
lines of railroad mentioned in the following pages. The 
assistance ef Eastern capitalists is all that is wanted to 
secure the success of these important enterprises. In less 
Ahan a year from this time, the Magnetic Telegraph will 



>'-^^ 



be extended from St. Louis to Galena ; and the \alley of 
the Upper Mississippi which, a short time ago, teemed 
almost out of the world, will be in daily communication 
with the Atlantic cities. 

The Map of Iowa, accompanying this volume, is the 
only complete and accurate one that has yet appeared. 

G. B. S. 

Davenport^ Iowa, February 1st, 1848. 



lOTES 01 IO¥A 



Acqiiisitloii fi'oni tSie Indians. 

Until as late as the year 1832, the whole territory 
north of the State of Missouri was in undisputed posses- 
sion of the Indians. By a treaty made in 1830, the Sacs 
and Foxes, who were then one of the principal tribes, 
had ceded to the United States the last of their lands east 
of the Mississippi River. Their unwillingness to leave the 
ceded territory in comphance with the treaty, led to the 
" Black Hawk War," which resulted, after several fierce 
skirmishes, in the total defeat of the Indians at the battle 
of the Bad- Axe, on the 2nd of August, 1832. In the 
September following, partly as an indemnity for the ex- 
penses of the war, and partly to secure the future safety 
and tranquility of the invaded frontier, a strip of country 
on the west of the Mississippi, extendmg nearly 300 miles 
north from Missouri, and about 50 miles in width, (now 
commonly called " the Black Hawk purchase',") was 
ceded to the United States ; and in June, 1833, the settle- 
ment of Iowa by the white man was commenced. 

Further purchases were made successively in the years 
1836 and 1837 ; and in 1842, by a treaty concluded by 



Governor Chambers, an immense tract of land, con 
taming some fifteen million acres, was purchased of 
the Sacs and Foxes for the sum of one million dollars. 
This tract, known as the " New Purchase," now contains 
some of the finest Counties in the State, though a large 
part of it was occupied by the Indians until October in 
1845. 

The Pottawattamies, who inhabited the south-western 
corner of the State, and the Winnebagoes, who occupied 
the" Neutral Ground," a strip of country on the northern 
border, have been peaceably removed within the last two 
years ; and the Indian title has thus become extinct in the 
whole country Ijdng within the estabhshed limits of Iowa. 

Formation of tlie Territorial & State Governments. 

The settlement commenced in the summer of 1833, 
continued with great rapidity. In 1836, a territorial go- 
vernment was established over Wisconsin, which then in- 
cluded the whole of the "Black.HawkPurchase,"and extend- 
ed west to the Missouri river. By Act of Congress, passed 
June 12th, 1838, it was enacted, that, from and after the 
3rd day of July following, all that part of the territory of 
Wisconsin lying west of the Mississippi, should be and 
constitute a separate territorial government by the name 
of Iowa, The white population numbered at that time 
22,000. In 1844, the population having increased to 
upwards of 82,500 souls, a Convention of Delegates assem- 
bled at Iowa City, formed a Constitution and State Gov- 
ernment, and appUed for admission of Iowa into the Union. 
An Act was accordingly passed by Congress on the 3rd 
of March, 1845, declaring the State boundaries, and condi- 



tionally granting admission ; but the proposed Constitu ■ 
tion having been rejected by the people, the admission 
did not take effect. So much of the Act as related to the 
boundaries was repealed, and the present boundaries 
were established on the 4th of August, 1846 ; and a se- 
cond Convention assembled at Iowa City in May of that 
year, having adopted the present State Constitution, and 
renewed the former appUcation, it wa« enacted by Con- 
gress on the 28th of December, 1846 : — " That the State 
of Iowa shall be — and is hereby declared to be — one of 
the United States of America, and is admitted into the 
Union on an equal footing with the original States in all 
respects whatever." 

Thus, in the short space of fourteen years, a free and 
civilized State was formed on the soil which for ages be- 
fore had been the hunting-ground and battle-ground of 
contending tribes. The Indians have now wholly disap- 
peared, and the hardy and enterprising population which 
has taken their place, numbers nearly 120,000 souls. 
Though collected from many parts of the world, and 
from all classes and grades of society, they are, for the 
most part, an industrious, honest, and order-loving people ; 
and among them may be found many men of superior 
education and intelhgence. During the last year, nume- 
rous Germans, of an excellent class, have settled in vari- 
ous parts of the State : and the immigration is still going 
on. If half the immense hordes of foreigners who are 
daily landing on our shores were to follow this example, 
instead of congregating, as most of them do, in crowded 
«ities, many of the evils of unrestricted immigration, which 



are beginning to be so seriously felt, might be avoided. 
There is room enough for all on the broad and fertile 
prairies of the " Great West." 

Perhaps no part of this vast region combines in itself 
more of the elements of prosperity than that under consi- 
deration. Situated nearly midway between the two great 
oceans — ^bounded on two sides by the giant rivers of the 
continent — and watered by innumerable smaller streams ; 
possessing a fertile soil, inexhaustible mineral resources, a 
healthful climate, a free constitution, and a hardy and in- 
dustrious population ; uncursed by slavery, and untram- 
melled by debt ; the State of Iowa has commenced its 
career with prospects of far more than ordinary bril- 
liancy. In extent of territory, it is one of the largest 
in the Union ; and it may safely be prophesied, that it is 
destined, at no distant day, to rank among the first in 
point of wealth and poHtical importance. 

General Description of tlie Country. 

.The general face of the country is that of a high rolling 
prairie, watered by numerous streams, and, on the river- 
courses, skirted with woodlands. An idea prevails at the 
East, that the prairies are uniformly level. This is by no 
means the case. Sometimes, indeed, they are spread out 
in boundless plains: but the high, or upland prairies, 
which are much the most beautiful, as well as the best 
adapted to cultivation — ^present a series of graceful un- 
dulations not unlike the swell of the sea, from which they 
derive the appellation " rolhng." Their uniform charac- 
teristic, is, the absence of timber ; hence, the word " prai- 
rie " is commonly used in the West to designate an open 



or unwooded country. This absence of timber has been 
accounted for by the Indian practice of annually burning 
the prairies, as it is found that timber springs up rapidly 
when the fires are kept out. In their natural state, they 
are covered with a luxuriant growth of grass, interspersed 
with a variety of flowers, and, when in full bloom and 
verdure, are exceedingly beautiful. 

" To look at a prairie up or down," says Nicollet, " to 
ascend one of its undulations ; to reach a small plateau 
(or, as the voyageurs call it, a prairie planchi), moving 
from wave to wave over alternate swells and depres- 
sions ; and, finally, to reach the vast interminable low 
prairie that extends itself in front, — be it for hours, days, 
or weeks, one never tires ; pleasurable and exhilarating 
sensations are all the time felt ; ennui is never experi- 
enced. The security one feels in knowing that there are 
no concealed dangers, so vast is the extent which the eye 
takes in ; no difficulties of road ; a far spreading verdure, 
relieved by a profusion of variously coloured flowers ; the 
azure of the sky above, or the tempest that can be seen 
from its beginning to its end ; the beautiful modifications 
of the changing clouds ; the curious looming of objects 
betv/een earth and sky, taxing the ingenuity every mo- 
ment to rectify ; — all, everything, is calculated to excite 
the perceptions, and keep alive the imagination." 

Although Iowa may be termed a " prairie" country, 
patches of timber are scattered about at convenient in- 
tervals, of sufficient extent for all agricultural purposes. 
Oak, of various kinds, cotton-wood (a species of poplar) . 
locust, wild plum, and all the varieties of trees common 
to the same latitudes on this continent, are found on th<» 
uplands or along the river bottoms. 

Soil and Pro<luctlons. 

The soil is of extreme richness and fertility, well adapted 



IX) 

•to all the grains usually grown in the northern and mid- 
dle latitudes. Tobacco, hemp, and flax, have been suc- 
cessfully cultivated. Wild rice, said to be quite equal to 
that of the Southern States, has recently been discovered. 
All the choice fruits may be raised in great perfection. 
Pure water may be obtained on any part of the prairies, 
at a distance of twenty or thirty feet from the surface. 

Game of all kinds abounds on the woodlands and in the 
prairies, and the lakes and rivers are filled with fish and 
fowl. All who are fond of hunting wdll be well repaid 
by a trip to Iowa in the shooting season. A tolerable 
sportsman could easily obtain a subsistence with his gun 
alone. 

Lead, zinc, iron, and coal, are the principal minerals. 
Copper and tin have also been discovered. The lead 
mines are the only ones winch have as yet been worked 
to any extent. 

A more particular account of the mineral products of 
Iowa will be found in another part of this volume. 
Climate. 

The climate of Iowa does not differ materially from 
that of the Eastern States in the same latitude. The 
winters are perhaps somewhat colder, though there is not 
a great deal of snow. During the summer a breeze al- 
most always sweeps over the prairies, refreshing and in- 
vigorating without producing the evil effects of the cold 
easterly winds of the sea-board. Very warm weather 
seldom continues beyond the first of August. The dews 
are very heavy, and the nights are always cold and 
damp. The only diseases incident to the climate. 



II 

are those experienced in all new countries, which may, in 
a great measure, be avoided by proper care. Much de- 
pends upon the choice of locality. Low, wet situations, 
are always unhealthy, but on the high rolling prairies the 
air is pure and salubrious. Notwithstanding the greater 
exposure to which settlers are hable, in the change of 
diet and water, and the want of comforts and careful at- 
tendance, it is beUeved that the average mortaUty is not 
greater than in the Eastern States. Bilious disorders are 
more prevalent, but pulmonary diseases are almost en- 
tirely unknown ; and changes favourable to continued 
health are daily produced by the settlement and cultiva- 
tion of the country. 

Statistics. 

Iowa and Wisconsin form one surveying District, hav- 
ing the office of the Surveyor General at Dubuque. 

The State is divided into three Land Districts. The 
hne between townships 83 and 84, extending from the 
Mississippi to the Missouri river, forms the boundary of 
the Northern District, of which the Land Office is at Du- 
buque. The hne between townships 75 and 76 marks 
the limit of the middle or Iowa City Land District. The 
remainder of the State constitutes the Southern District, 
having the Land Office at Fairfield. 

Iowa forms one Judicial District of the United States, 
called the " District of Iowa." A District {Court, con- 
sisting of one Judge, is held annually at the seat of Gov- 
ernment of the State. 

The Territorial seat of Government was located, in 
1839, at Iowa City, upon the Iowa River, by Commis- 



12 

Eioners, appointed by the Legislature for that purpose, 
and a large and beautiful edifice has been erected for the 
transaction of pubUc business. It is built entirely of stone, 
an excellent quality of which is found in this vicinity ; and 
being on a prominent point of land overlooking the river, 
presents a very commanding appearance. 

During the session of the Legislature of 1846, a bill 
was passed, appointing Commissioners to locate anew the 
permanent seat of Government of the State. The Com- 
missioners appointed in accordance with this Act, made 
a location in Township No. 78, North Range 20, West, 
giving it the name of Monroe City. This point has no 
merit except its being near the centre of the State. Much 
dissatisfaction is expressed vnth the selection, and the 
probability is, that the seat of Government will remain at 
Iowa City for many years. 

DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES AND PRINCIPAL TOWNS. 
liee. 

This is the southernmost County in the State, being 
situated in the point of land formed by the junction of the 
Des Moines and Mississippi Rivers. It is well watered, 
and the general quaUty of the soil is as good as that of 
any in Iowa. 

Keokuck, the most thriving town, is situated on the 
Mississippi, at the foot of the Lower, or Des Moines Ra- 
pids. Its communication with St. Louis is nearly unin- 
terrupted, and shipments of the produce of the country 
can be made from this point at less expense than from 
any other in the State. This circumstance, in connexion 
with the large extent of fertile back country, o{ which 



13 

Keokuck is tlie depot, must eventually make it a place 
of great importance. Being in the " Half Breed Tract,"" 
the title to which has been for a long time in dispute, its 
growth has hitherto been somewhat retarded ; but the 
difficulties are now considered settled, and the town is 
improving with unparalleled rapidity. 

There is a fine opportunity here for creating an availa- 
ble water power. By excavating a canal of some four or 
five miles in length, sufficient water might be diverted to 
drive an immense amount of machinery. 

A railroad is in contemplation from this thriving town 
via Fairfield, Oskaloosa, Bella, and Monroe City, to Fort 
Des Moines. The proposed route is on or near the di- 
viding ridge, between the waters of the Des Moines and 
Skunk Rivers, not crossing a single stream of importance,- 
and requiring very little grading. 

It is proposed, also, to construct a railroad between 
Keokuck and Dubuque, to pass through Montrose, West 
Point, Mount Pleasant, Washington, Iowa City, and 
Marion. A bill has passed the legislature asking Con- 
gress for a grant of land for this purpose. 

Fort Madison, the seat of justice for Lee county, hand- 
somely situated on the Mississippi river, about twelve 
miles above the head of the Des Moines Rapids, is quite 
an important town, having from 1,200 to 1,500 inhabitants. 
It contains the State Penitentiary, which is a substantial 
edifice, built of limestone rock ; supports a weekly news- 
paper, three hotels, and one of the best ferries that cross 
the Upper Mississippi. 



14 

Population of Lee county, in 1844, 9,830 ; in 1847, 

13,231. 

Des Moines. 

Des Moines was the earliest settled, witlr the exception 
of Dubuque, and is, at this time, the most populous county 
in the State. The seat of justice, and principal town, is 
Burlington, which was formerly the territorial seat of 
government, and is noteworthy also as being the spot 
where the first settlers of Iowa erected their log cabins. 
The first legislature convened in Iowa, met here, in the 
fall of 1837. It is well situated on the Mississippi, and 
is a place of much trade ; containing a large number of 
stores, which supply a large and well-populated back 
country with goods. 

Population of this county, in 1844, 9,109 ; in 1847, 

10,071. 

liOiiisa 

Is watered by the Iowa river, and its tributaries, all of 
which are bordered with excellent timber. 

Wapello, the seat of justice, is a flourishing town, 
beautifully situated on the west bank of the Iowa river, 
about ten miles from its mouth, on the site of " Wapel- 
lo's old Indian village." It takes its name from a cele- 
brated Fox Chief, who resided there with his band until 
the summer of 1836. Other thriving villages in this 
county, are T^olshoro ; Columbus City ; Harrison, and 
Florence. 

Population, in 1844, 3,238 ; in 1847, 3,648. 
Muscatine. 

This county is situated in one of the great bends of the 
Mississippi, and in point of location has many advantages- 



15 

Bloomington, the seat of justice, is situated on the Mis- 
sissippi ; has an excellent landing for steamboats, and is 
the only town of importance for fifty miles above Burling- 
ton. Its peculiar situation in the bend of the river, gives 
it the advantages of both a river and inland town. It 
contains about 1,800 inhabitants, and supports a weekly 
newspaper. Being the shipping point for a large portion 
of the back country, a very extensive business is done 
here in produce. 

Population of ?/Iuscatine county, in 1844, 2,882 ; in 
1847, 3,010. 

Scott. 

This is a rich and well watered county, the Wabsi- 
pinicon river bounding it on the north, and the Missis- 
sippi ilowing along the whole eastern and southern bord- 
ers, a distance of about 40 miles. It is the finest and most 
healthful of the river counties. The lands bordering on 
the Mississippi are susceptible of cultivation almost to the 
water's edge, the bluffs rising gradually, and forming the 
most desirable locations for farming purposes that can be 
conceived. The beauty of the scenery, the quality of the 
soil, and the apparent advantages of the situation, induced 
an early settlement along the banks of the river, where 
the farms are now numerous and highly improved. In 
the interior, the land, though mostly prairie, is high, gently 
rolling, and well adapted to cultivation ; and owing to 
the facilities for procuring all necessary timber from the 
Mississippi, is rapidly becoming dotted with farms. 

It was in this county that Black Hawk built his village, 
when the last of the Sacs and Foxes were driven from 



16 

•iheir homes on Rock River ; and from here his warriors 
•started to commence the war of 1&32. The treaty, at 
the close of that war, by which the first land in Iowa was 
acquired from the Indians, was concluded at Fort Arm- 
strong by General Scott ; and in honour of that celebrated 
officer, not so much on "account of his military achieve- 
ments as for his agency in effecting this favourable treaty, 
Scott county received its name. It is one of the smallest 
counties in the State, not containing over twelve tov/n- 
ships of land. 

Davenport, the seat of justice, is situated at the foot of 
a bluff on the bank of the Mississippi. The scenery in 
its vicinity is exceedingly picturesque, and long before 
the country was settled, had been noticed with admira- 
tion by passing travellers. Its appearance at that time 
is thus diescribed in a work published several years ago : 

" At the foot of the Upper Rapids is one of the most pic- 
turesque scenes that we recollect to have beheld. On 
the western side, a series of slopes are seen rising one 
above another for a considerable distance, until the back 
ground is terminated by a chain of beautifully rounded 
hills, over the whole of which trees are thinly scattered. 
On the other side of the river is a broad flat plain of rich 
alluvion, several miles in length, and more than a mile 
in breadth, and terminated by a range of wooded hills. 
.On this prairie is a small village of the Sac and Fox In- 
dians, composed of rude lodges, scattered carelessly about. 
In the front of the landscape, and presenting its most pro- 
minent feature, is Rock Island, the western shore of 
.which is washed by the main current of the Mississippi, 



17 

while the eastern side is separated from the main land by 
a narrow channel, which is fordable at low water. Ttie 
southern point of the island is elevated about forty feet 
above the ordinary level of the river, and is supported by 
a perpendicular parapet of rock. Here stands Fort Arm- 
strong, a strong and very neat work, garrisoned by two 
companies of United States troops ; and here will be one 
of the most desirable sites for a town on the Upper Mis- 
sissippi. Rock River, which enters the Mississippi a few 
miles below the island, is a rapid stream, which may be 
easily rendered navigable, and which affords abundant 
water power for the propulsion of any kind of machinery. 
The whole of this region is fruitful, healthful, and agreea- 
ble to the eye." 

It is interesting to mark the changes that have taken 
place since the above description was written. On the 
" western side," with the " beautifully rounded hills in 
the back ground," now stands Davenport. On the other 
fide, which was then occupied by the Sac and Fox vil- 
lage, is now the flourishing town of Rock Island, in Illi- 
nois. Fort Armstrong is abandoned and in ruins. All along 
the banks of the river are seen the marks of civilization 
and improvement. But, though the scenery has lost some 
of its wildness, it retains its original characteristics, and 
has gained many pleasing features. The towns of Rock 
Island and Davenport, the old Fort with its deserted block 
houses, the Mississippi, Avinding gracefully above and be- 
low, Rock River branching off through the woods, the 
forest-covered islands, the high wooded bluffs, and the 

B* 



tich, green prairies of Illinois, form a picture, which, for 
beauty, variety, and extent, can hardly be surpassed. 

The heahhfulness and beauty of the situation, together 
With the facilities for hunting and fishing in its neighbour- 
hood, have made this place the fashionable resort during 
the summer months, of large numbers of people, from St. 
Louis and other Southern cities. It has hitherto been 
more noted on this account than as a place of trade ; but 
the business of the town is now rapidly on the increase. 
There are several flourishing stores ; and two large steam 
Houring mills have been erected during the past year, one 
of which is already in operation. Most of the houses 
are substantially built of brick. The hotel and court- 
house are large and handsome buildings. A college, un- 
der the patronage of the Presbyterian denomination, is 
now in process of erection on the bluff, overlooking the 
town. Davenport is the eastern terminus of the contem- 
plated railroad from the Mississippi to the Missouri River. 
It is 350 miles above St. Louis, and 500 below the Falls 
of St. Anthony. It contains about 1,000 inhabitants. 

Le Claire is the name of a new town which has 
lately sprung into existence at the head of the Rapids, 
about fifteen miles above Davenport. It is situated in a 
thickly settled part of the county, and bids fair to become 
a place of considerable importance. 

Population of^ Scott county, in 1844, 2,750 ; in 1847, 
3,652. 

Clinton 

Is a rich and well watered county of land. In some 
parts there is a scarcity of timber, which has prevented 



19 

very extensive settlements being made. There is, how- 
ever, a heavy body of timber on the Wabsipinecon River, 
and many excellent farms have been made in its vicinity. 
The lands in this county, bordering on the Mississippi, 
are generally quite broken. 

De Witt, the seat of justice, is a thriving little village, 
beautifully situated on a high rolling prairie, about three 
miles from the Wabsipinecon River. 

Population, in 184-i, 1,200 ; in 1847, 1,570. 
Jackson. 

Much of the land in this county is broken and uneven, 
and its general appearance indicates a mineral country. 
Specimens of iron, copper, lead, zinc, and tin, have been 
found north of the Makoqueta, River. Mr. Owen, in his 
geological report, pronounces the iron ore of this district 
of excellent quahty and unUmited abundance. The Ma- 
koqueta runs through the entire length of the county 
from east to west, and furnishes abundant water power 
both on the main stream and its tributaries. This is a 
good agricultural region, and contains many fine farms. 

Bellevue and Charleston, on the Mississippi River, are 
flourishing villages. Andrew, the seat of justice, is quite 
a promising town, situated near the geographical centre. 

Population, in 1844, 2,833 ; in 1847, 4,639. 
Dubuque. 

This county, which embraces the principal part of the 
mineral region, was the earliest settled in the State ; a 
party of French Canadians having established themselves 
Qt the site of the present town of Dubuque, about the year 
1786, for the purpose of trading with the Indians. The 
first discovery of lead ore in the West is said to have been 



20 

made in that vicinity by the wife of an Indian Chief. 
This mineral has now become the principal article of ex- 
port/and is a source of great profit, the mines yielding it 
in immense quantities. The settlers here are from nearly 
every part of the world, most of whom have be^n drawn 
hither by the expectation of making speedy fortunes in 
the mines ; but where the hopes of one are reahzed, nine- 
ty-nine are disappointed. Stories are told of men who 
have gone to work in the morning poor, and have found 
themselves possessed of vi^ealth at night. There have 
undoubtedly been such instances ; but the stories ot men 
who have spent their all in the search of hidden treasures, 
and have found only bitter disappointment, though less 
often heard, are far more numerous. 

This is a well timbered county, but much of the land 
is too broken for agricultural purposes. There are valua- 
ble water powers on the Makoqueta River, some of which 
are extensively improved. 

Dubuque, the seat of justice, besides being the great 
mineral depot of Iowa, is a place of much trade, and sup- 
plies a very extensive country with goods. It contains 
about 3,000 inhabitants, several wholesale stores, and one 
of the largest hotels in the West. The United States 
Land Office for the Northern District of Iowa, and the 
Office of the Surveyor General of Iowa and Wisconsin^ 
are also at this place. 

Population, in 1844, 4,059. 

Clayton. 

The land in this county is of an excellent quality, and 
the timber very superior and in great abundance. There 
is sufficient on the Volga River to support a very large 



21 

number of extensive forms. The county is settling fast 
with an enterprising population. 

Prairie la Porte is the seat of justice. It is hand- 
somely situated on the Mississippi, a few miles above the 
mouth of Turkey River. Winchester is the principal 
town, and a flourishing little village. 

Population, in 1847, 2,176. 

Allamalvce and Wiwnesliieli. 

These two new counties contain much excellent land, 
and are well watered and timbered. 

Fayette and Buciiaiian. 

These counties, though organized only two years, have 
already numerous settlements. They are well watered 
and timbered, and the land is of excellent quality. The 
spirit of speculation which has run so high in other parts 
of the State on their first settlement, does not seem to 
have reached here, and immigrants can here find choice 
lands at Government prices. 

Trenton, the seat of justice for Buchanan county, is a 
thriving town, and is improving fast. 
Dela-%vare. 

The land in this county is generally quite broken , and 
has the appearance of a mineral region. There is, how- 
ever, much good farming land, and many excellent farms 
are already under cultivation. Timber and water are 
abundant and of the best quality. 

Delhi is the most important town. 

Population, in 1847, 1,111. 

Jones. 

The Makoqueta and Wabsipinecon both run through 
this county, which will rank among the first in Iowa i^* 



22 

point of manufacturing privileges, having water power in 
great abundance. It is also a good farming country, with 
a good soil, plenty of timber, and a healthful climate. 

Edinburgh, the county seat, is a thriving town, and 
promises to be a place of some importance. 

Population, in 1844, 1,112 ; in 1847, 1,779. 
liinn. 

This county is well timbered, and contains as good 
land and as great agricultural advantages as any in the 
State, It is thickly settled, and the farms v/ill, in gen- 
eral, compare favourably with those of an older country. 
It is well watered by *he Red Cedar and its tributaries, 
which afford abundance of water power, and upon which 
many good rriills are already erected. 

Marion, the seat of justice, situated near the centre, is 
quite a flourishing village. 

Population, in 1844, 2,643 ; in 1847, 3,954. 
Cedar. 

This was one of the earliest settled counties. It is 
well watered, and has some fine mill privileges, and sev- 
eral mills akeady in successful operation. The Wab- 
sipinecon and Red Cedar Rivers, pass through it. Tipton, 
the seat of justice, situated near the centre, on a beautiful 
prairie, is a thriving town, settled mostly by Eastern peo- 
ple. Rochester, on the bank of the Cedar, is a flourish- 
ing town, containing an enterprising population. 

Population, in 1844, 2,643 ; in 1847, 2,809. 

(JollilSOIl. 

This is an excellent county of land. The general face 
of the country is rolling. There is some scarcity of tim- 
ber, except in the immediate vicinity of the water courses. 



23 

Iowa City, the capitol of the State, and the seat of 
justice of this county, is situated near its centre, on the left 
bank of Iowa River. The settlement and growth of this 
town have been remarkably rapid. In May, 1839, when 
the seat of government was located, it was entirely in a 
state of nature. In less than one year afterwards it con- 
tained from five to seven hundred inhabitants, and several 
hotels and shops. It has since increased with equal rapidity, 
and now contains several churches, a college, academy, 
and excellent schools. Steamboats have frequently as- 
cended the river to this point, and some have gone above 
in high stages of water. About a mile above the city, 
are an excellent water-power and extensive mills. 

The passage of the bill to locate the seat of government 
anew, does not seem to have injured in the least, the pros- 
perity of this city. No one appears to entertain a seri- 
ous idea that the seat of government will be removed 
from it, at least, for the next fifty years. To be satisfied 
on this point, one has only to be acquainted with the two 
locations. 

An U. S. Land Office is estabhshed at this place. 

The capitol stands on a prominent eminence, overlook- 
ing the river and surrounding countiy. It is 120 feet 
long, and 62 wade, built of stone, in a substantial and 
workmanlike manner. 

Population of this county in 1844, 2,940 ; in 1847, 
3,389. 

Wasliington. 

This county is high and roUing, well timbered and wa- 
tered. Several of the small streams afford excellent 



24 

water powers, and mills are in active operation. Much 
damage has lately been done to the farms by a destructive 
fire, which swept over the prairies. The loss in grain, 
fences, buildings, &c., is estimated at not less than ^50,- 
000. 

Washington, the seat of justice, is situated on a beau- 
tiful prairie, and is a thriving village. There are some 
other flourishing towns. 

Population, in 1847, 3,588. 

HerLry 

Is decidedly one of the best counties in Iowa. The 
prairie is gently roUing, and well adapted for cultivation. 
The timber is of an excellent quality and well situated. 
Skunk River affords good water powers, some of the best 
of which are already improved. This county was settled 
at an early day, by an excellent class of people ; and the 
fine orchards, farms, and houses, bear witness to their in- 
dustry. Mount Pleasant, the county seat, is a deHght- 
ful place, and is improving rapidly. It is beautifully situ- 
ated on a high rolling prairie, and is as healthful a point 
as can be selected. 

Population, in 1844, 6,017 ; in 1847, 6,759. 

Jefferson 

Is well timbered, and well watered, and has abundant 
mill privileges. Fairfield, the seat of justice, is beauti- 
fully situated, near the centre of the county. The United 
States Land Office for the Southern District of Iowa, is ai 
this place. 

Population, in 1844, 5,694 ; in 1,847, 8,463. 



25 

Van Burcn. 

This is one of the oldest and most populous counties 
in Iowa. It is well watered and timbered, and is an 
excellent farming region. The lands are well improved. 
Keosauque, the seat of justice, situated near the great bend 
of the Des Moines River, is a thriving town, containing 
many fine buildings. Farmington, also a place of much 
importance, is handsomely situated, and improving very 
rapidly. 

Population, in 1847, 10,203. 

Jasper. 

Most of the land in this county is prairie ; timber being 
only found on the banks of Skunk River and its tributa- 
ries. The prairie is rolHng and dry, and well adapted to 
cultivation. There are several good sandstone quarries. 
Newton, the county seat, is handsomely situated, and is 
an important town. Monroe City, the neAV seat of gov- 
ernment, is in this county. 

Population, in 1847, 560. 

Wapello. 

This county is watered by the Des Moines, and several 
smaller streams, on some of which are good mill sites. 
The surface is moderately undulating ; the soil is excel- 
lent, and there is an abundance of good timber. Heavy 
settlements are already made along the Des Moines River 
bottom, and some of the farms would compare favourably 
with those of the older counties. 

Ottumwc, the seat of justice, is pleasantly situated on 
the Des i\Ioine5. It contain? several good houses, stores, 
and mechanics' shops, and two hotels. The Appanoose 



26 

Rapids are at this place, and a large grist and saw mill 
are in extensive operation. Agency City is a flourishing 
and picturesque little village, about three miles from the 
Des Moines, surrounded by many fine farms. Eddyville 
is a thriving town on the west bank of the river, contain- 
mg a saw mill, and some substantial brick buildings. 

Population, in 1847, 5,560. 

Maliaska 

Is one of the finest counties in the New Purchase. It is 
moderately undulating, wdth a good soil, chiefly prairie, 
but with a suflaciency of timber for fencing purposes. It 
is watered by the Des Moines, Skunk, and its tributaries, 
and several inferior streams, on some of which are several 
mills in operation. Good springs are scarce, but excellent 
water may be obtained at an average depth of thirty feet 
from the surface. Oskaloosa, the county seat, is situated 
near the geographical centre. Although it is only four 
years since its settlement was commenced, it now con- 
tains sixty or seventy good buildings, two hotels, a court 
house, and several stores. In its vicinity are some well 
cultivated farms. 

Population, in 1847, 3,774. 

Marion. 

This is a well timbered county ; numerous groves oc- 
curring at convenient distances for agricultural purposes. 
The soil is generally good. The face of the country is 
broken, and in places even hilly, though considerable 
tracts of level land intervene. It is watered by the Des 
Moines and its tributaries. A remarkable feature of this 
county is seen in the pecuUar conformation of the banks of 



27 

the streams, which are generally so steep and abrupt that 
few points can be found that are suitable for fords. Bitu- 
minous coal, and large quantities of sulphur and iron ore, 
are found in almost all these banks. There are many ex- 
cellent stone quarries, and in some places a kind of flat 
stone is found, which is admirably calculated for whet- 
stones, on account of its sbftness and fine grit. 

A iarge number of Hollanders, who have been compel- 
led to leave their own country, by poUtical and religious 
persecution, have recently commenced a settlement in the 
north-eastern part of Marion county, which they have 
given the name of Fella. They have purchased two 
townships, and the colony already numbers eight hundred. 
Nearly two hundred of them declared their intention 
of becoming citizens of the United States, at a late term 
of the county court. The president of this association of 
settlers, Mr. Sehaulter, and several other of their leading 
men, are men of superior education and refinement. Mr. 
S. was a student at the Leyden University, at the time of 
the Belgian insurrection, and took an active part in that 
event. He has written several able works, and was the 
editor of a periodical, published at Utrecht, where he suf- 
fered imprisonment for the fearlessness with which he 
advocated the cause of popular freedom. 

Knoxville, the seat of justice of Marion, pleasantly 
situated on a high prairie, near the geographical centre, 
is a thriving town. 

Population, in 1847, 2,350. 

Pollc. 

This is a well timbered county, and is watered by the 



28 

Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. Thie face of the coun- 
try is rolling, and the soil generally good. A short dis- 
tance above the juncture of the Raccoon and Des Moines, 
is the old fort, or Fort Des Moines, as it is called, which 
was evacuated by the United States dragoons, in March^ 
184G. Since that time, a town has sprung up, numbering 
within its limits some one hundred and fifty inhabitants. 
The surrounding country is thickly inhabited, and, though 
so lately settled, contains extensive improvements, and 
thriving farms. Having an abundance of timber, and 
almost any amount of water privileges, this county must 
become a point of great importance. 
Population, in 1847, 1,792. 

Warren 

Borders on Marion, but is inferior as an agricultural 
district, on account of a preponderance of prairie. It is 
attached to Marion for judicial purposes. There are not, 
as yet, many settlements iu this county. 

liucas. 

This is one of the best counties for agricultural pui-po- 
ses ; having an excellent soil, and a good distribution of 
prairie and timber lands. Springs are more numerous than 
in the adjoining counties, and there is an abundance of 
excellent coal. Lucas was formerly the favourite hunting 
ground of the Pottawottamies. It is attached to Marion 
for judicial purposes. 

Po^vesMek. 

This county is mostly prairie, and contains very few 
settlers. The land is generally rolling, and the soil rich. 



29 

liLeokuck, Iowa, Benton, Black HaM^k, and Tama, 

Are but thinly settled. Timber is scarce in all of 
them. The soil is rich, and the lands are well watered. 
Appaiioose and Kislikeekosli. 

These two counties are mostly prairie, and will not, on 
that account, be settled very fast. Chaldear, the county 
seat of Appanoose, contain two or three stores, and 
several dwelling houses. 

Mai'sliall, Story, Boone, Dallas, Madison, Clark, 
"W'ayne, Decatur, Ringgold, Taylor, and Page, 

Contain as yet but few settlers. Timber is scarce in all 

of them. 

I^IiUs. 

This county is on the Missouri River, and the southern 
part contains quite a heavy settlement. There is quite a 
body of good timber on the Nishnabottana and Missouri. 
The bottom on the Missouri is low and subject to inunda- 
tion. At Huntsucker's Ferr)', there is a store, and some 
mechanics' shops. • 

Rivers of lo^va. 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 

The principal rivers of tlais State are the Keosauque or 
Des Moines, the Checauque or River of Skunks, the Iowa, 
Red Cedar, Wabsipinecon, Makoqueta, Turkey, Upper 
Iowa, and Yellow. The Des Moines, Iowa, and Cedar, 
are navigable in good stages of water, for about a 100 
miles up. The general characteristics of these rivers, are a 
swift current, lime-stone bottom, or white sand, and very 
pure transparent water, filled with various kinds of fish. 
All these rivers head in numerous small lakes in the In- 
dian country, and are skirted with tunber. 



so 

Minerals of Icwa. 

LEAD ORE. 

The lead region comprehends a strip of about eight 
townships of land, lying along the Mississippi, the great- 
est width of which strip is about twelve miles from east 
to west. It is watered by the Little Makoqueta, and the 
lower portion of Turkey River. The surface, in this tract, 
is broken and rugged, and there are some hills of consid- 
erable magnitude. Mr. Owen, in his geological report, 
made to Congress in 1840, says, in reference to the lead 
region of Wisconsin and Iowa : " a review of the resour- 
ces and capabihtiesof tiiis country induces me to say with 
confidence, that ten thousand miners could find profitable 
employment within its confines." From the same report is 
taken the following statement of the process of mining : 

" When a miner sets out in search of lead ore, he usually 
begins by what is called ' prospecting ;' that is, on those 
spots where surface or other indications lead him to ex- 
pect a discovery of ore, he commences digging holes or 
sinking shafts, usually on the summit or the declivity of a 
hill. Should he fail in the first attempt to reach gravel 
mineral, or to come upon any signs of neighbourhood to 
a fissure, he soon abandons the spot, and begins to dig 
elsewhere. The ground in many portions of the lead dis- 
tricts is found riddled with such pits, called, in the lan- 
guage of the Wisconsin miner, ' prospect holes.' Should 
he reach encouraging symptoms, or actually strike upon a 
vein, or upon detached pieces of ore ranging downwards, 
he continues his labour, often with very great profit. 

" When, after prehminary examination, he decides to 
sink a shaft, v.^ith the view of striking a crevice, he is 
compelled, until he reaches the rock, to wall up the shaft 
vdth logs, r 

" These shafts, of irregular form, usually approaching a 



31 

cylinder, are generally from four to live feet aero??. Some- 
times the rock is soft enough to be quarried with hammer, 
gad, and pickaxe ; at others, it is found necessary to blast 
it with gunpowder. 

" The mode of descending, is by means of a rope of 
raw hide, and a common windlass, worked by one or two 
men. 

'•'By the same simple contrivance, the ore is raised to 
the surface. Sometimes, but rarely, ladders are used to 
ascend and descend. 

" When a miner is fortunate enough to discover a pro- 
ductive vein accessible from a hill-side, he fomis a drift, 
and very conveniently conveys the ore out in wheelbar- 
rows — of course, at a very trifling expense. 

" The shafts are sunk in this lead region to the depth 
of fifty, one hundred, or one hundred and fifty feet. They 
are usually abandoned as soon as the mine .is inundated 
with water, unless the miner, by drifting (that is, work- 
ing horizontally) until the external surface of the hill is 
reached, can readily drain the mine. There is but a sin- 
gle instance in the district where a mine has been prose- 
cuted after being flooded with water, which could not 
thus be got rid of — namely, at Hamilton's diggings, near 
the Peccatonnica, where the mine is readily drained by a 
small steam-engine. The water in this mine was struck 
at the depth of thirty feet, and the mine has been worked 
with profit thirty-five feet below that point. 

" In the deeper diggings, the damp (carbonic acid gas) 
sometimes accumulates in such quantities towards the 
bottom, as to render it dangerous to work. This happens 
chiefly in the hot months of summer ; and at such sea- 
sons the miners are frequently compelled to discontinue 
their labours. 

"The means of ventilation yet employed are very 
simple. A cloth funnel, its upper portion so placed as 
to receive the breeze and to deflect it into the shaft, is the 
only contrivance. 

" The lead ore, which, with a few local exceptions, is 



32 

alone found or worked in this district, is the galena, or 
sulphuret of lead ; the same species of ore from which 
nearly all the lead of commerce is derived." 

ZINC ORE. 

" This ore," says Mr. Owen, " found both in Iowa and 
Wisconsin, usually occurs in the fissures, along with the 
lead. It is chiefly the electric calamine — the carbonate 
of zinc of the mineralogist. Though a sohd ore, it has 
an ochreous, earthly aspect, often resembling, the cellular 
substance of the bone : hence it is famiharly known 
among the miners by the name of ' dry bones.' 

" Notwithstanding its intrinsic value, which will before 
^ery long be duly appreciated, it is at present an object 
of especial aversion to the miner of Iowa and Wisconsin. 
It frequently happens that the lead ore in a fissure grad- 
ually diminishes, and eventually is entirely replaced by 
this zinc ore ; or, as the disappointed workman, some- 
times with a hearty curse, not very scientifically expresses 
it, ' the dry bone eats out the mineral.' 

" At som.e of the diggings, large quantities of this car* 
bonate of zinc can be procured. Thousands of tons are 
now lying in various locations on the surface, rejected as 
a worthless drug — indeed, as a nuisance. It is known to 
but a few of the miners as a zinc ore at all. An analy- 
sis of this ore proves it to be a true carbonate of zinc, 
containing forty-five per cent, to the pure metal. 

" Sheet zinc is becoming an article of considerable de- 
mand in the market, for cuUnary pui-poses, and as a cov- 
ering for valuable buildings, instead of lead. But the 
chief consumption of this metal is in making h-ass, well 
known to be a compound of copper and zinc. 

" Large quantities, both of copper and zinc, are now 
imported from Europe into the United States, to supply 
the continually increasing demand for brass. It is not 
improbable that the district now under consideration 
might furnish, of both metals, a suflacient amount, at least, 



33 

for many years to come, to supply the entire United States 
with brass of home produce and manufacture. 

" Of zinc, at least, there is assuredly a sufficient supply, 
not only for that purpose, but also for exportation. All 
the zinc now produced in Great Britain is trifling in quan- 
tity, and quite insufncient for the demand, so that a large 
quantity is imported, annually, into that island, chiefly 
from Germany and Belgium. The importation of zinc 
into England, in the year 1833, exceeded six millions and 
a half of pounds — a fact which may give us an idea of 
the importance of this metal as an article of commerce. 

IKON OKE. 

" The richness of the iron veins in this district cannot 
be correctly known until mines shall actually be opened ; 
which has not yet been done in any part of it. But more 
encouraging or more numerous surface-indications of an 
abundant supply of this useful metal can hardly offer 
themselves to the notice of the geologist. In a country 
more thickly settled, and with skill and capital to spare, 
these would speedily cause and justify the employment 
of W'hole villages of workmen. Though I have seen no 
proof that iron exists in Iowa, in deposits as extensive as 
in Tennessee, yet the locations of iron ore are numerous, 
and the quality of the ore, in general, is as good. 

" Near the 3,Iakoqueta, my sub-agents reported the 
discovery of large masses of iron ore, occurring over a very 
considerable district of country. The reports and speci- 
mens from that portion of the district induce me to be- 
lieve that there iron ore can be found, on the surface alone, 
sufficient to supply several iron-furnaces for years to come. 

" To incidental causes alone, and not to any natural de- 
ficiency of material, must be attributed the custom of im- 
porting annually from England, into this country, millions 
of dollars worth of iron for i-ailroads and other purposes. 
Enormous as is the produce of Great Britain's iron-fur- 
naces (amounting, in 1833, to fifteen hundred milhons of 
pounds), w^e might rival it in America. How little here 



34 

in the West, at least, we have hitherto improved our na- 
tural resources in this branch of commerce, is proved by 
the thousands of tons of rich iron ore which lie, unappro- 
priated and useless, scattered over Iowa and Wisconsm." 



Brief Sketcli of tlie Botany of lo^va. 

BY C. C. PARRY. 

Among the many points of interest which must natu- 
rally attract the attention of the emigrant to a new country, 
none is calculated to excite a more general interest than 
its native vegetable productions. Especially is this true 
of the Western emigrant in our own country ; expecting 
to be engaged more or less in the cultivation of the soil, 
he looks forward with pleasure to an acquaintance with 
these new companions of his toil ; and when, as it may 
happen, the prairie scene, so long imagined, breaks on 
the real view, in all the gorgeousness of its summer dress, 
each particular form of floral beauty acquires an interest 
in his eyes, which invites him to a more intimate acquain- 
tance. To give a general outhne of some of the more 
prominent features of Western, and particularly lowan 
botany, is the object of the present sketch. 

It is a common observation, that the diflferent species 
of plants in different countries, correspond more or less 
with the variations of soil, climate, &c. ; in other words, 
we may expect to find the same, or closely alUed plants, 
under similar external conditions ; and a like diversity 
where the conditions differ. But it must also be observed, 
that there is a diflTerence of plants in this respect. Some 
are cosmopolite in their nature, and are found under very 



35 

variable conditions ; others confine themselves within dis- 
tinct limits, to which they attach themselves with a per- 
tinacity at times defying even the careful hand of culture. 
It is this last class of what are properly termed character- 
istic plants that possess the most interest, as the index to 
a country ; and a brief notice of some of these is all that 
will be attempted in the present sketch. 

The prairie constitutes a main feature of our Western 
country, and as snch., prairie plants claim the first notice. 
Among these, one of the first that will be apt to engage 
the new observer, is the well known rosin loeed, (Silphi- 
um Laciniatum.) a coarse plant, with a sun-flower aspect, 
and ferny leaf This is known in some parts of the coun- 
try by the name of compass plant, being supposed to in- 
dicate, by the direction of its leaves, the points of the 
compass. This, however, the slightest observation will 
show to be unfounded ; its leaves facing in every possible 
direction ; and if there be any uniformity, it is plainly in 
connection with the prevailing winds. 

The several species of Liatris, or blazing star, with its 
long spike of purple flowers, will also receive attention. 

Then there is the rattle-snake weed, (Eryngium Aqua- 
ticum,) with its sword-shaped leaves, beset with slender 
spines, and round head of thickly crowded unconspicuons 
flowers ; its reputed virtues as an antidote, are, no doubt, 
unfounded, as, in common with the rest of its class, it 
possesses simply stimulant properties. 

There may be noticed, also, the characteristic Felalosie- 
mons, with their dense cyUndrical heads of violet, or 
white, flowers. 



36 

In the fall of the year, the cone-flowers (Rudbechia) 
constitute a conspicuous feature in the prairie flora, and 
with the wild sun-flowers, (Helianthus,) and golden rods, 
(SoUdago,) literally dazzle the eye with the brightness of 
their yellow autumn dress. 

The lead plant, (Amorpha Canescens,) is also common 
on dry ridges — though its abundance and extensive range 
sufiiciently disprove the supposed fact of its indicating 
the existence of lead. 

The eye-bright, (Euphorbia Corrollata,) also deserves 
notice as a common prairie plant ; and continuing to put 
forth its flowers from June to September, constitutes in 
the interval, a stiiking feature in the prairife landscape. 
Like the rest of the genus, it has a milky juice, and is 
medicinal. 

Our limits will not permit us to extend our notice of 
prairie plants. 

Among shrubs deserving attention, may be noticed, the 
wafer ash, (Ptelia Tiifoiiata,) so named from the appear- 
ance of its fruit ; interesting, also, as constituting an in- 
gredient in the kinnikinnick smoked by the Indians. 

The red bud, (Cersis Canadensis,) is distinguished 
by the profusion of its early spring flowers, appearing be- 
fore the leaves. 

Among the several species of thorn, we may men- 
tion as particularly striking in the abundance and fra- 
grance of its flowers, and beauty of foliage, the Cratae- 
gus Lomentosa. 

Then there is the wahu, (Euonymus, Atropus-pureus,) 
to be noted by the ehowiness of its scarlet fruit m winter. 



37 

The coffee tree, (Gymnocladus Canadensis,) is also 
occasionally met with, bearing large pods, the seeds of 
which are said to make an agreeable beverage, prepared 
like colTee, and somewhat resembUng it. 

Of native fruits, including the strawberry and black- 
berry, common to the East, we have the 3Iissouri goose- 
berry, (Ribes Missom-iense,) distinguished for its long and 
singular flowers, bearing, generally, an abundance of fruit, 
and of a pleasant flavour. The crab apple, too, (Pyrus 
Corona,ria,) in the fragrance of its beautiful flowers, 
makes some amends for the acerbity of its fruit, which 
latter is still esteemed by the housewife in making 
preserves. The vjild plum, also, (Prunus Americana,) 
acquires its perfection here. Frost grapes may be ga- 
thered in their season. Hickory nuts of an astonisfiing 
size are sometimes met with. The black walnut and 
butter-nut are most abundant in the interior. 

Of plants otherwise interesting, to which our limits will 
barely allow us to allude, we must notice the moccasin- 
flowers, (Cypripedium,) of which there are three species. 

There is also the Phalangiura Esculentum, with its hya- 
cynth-looking flowers, and edible bulbous root, an article 
of food among the Indians over a wide range of country. 

But of all the flowers of this region of country, none 
will secure a more lasting admiration, than the Dode- 
catheon Media, properly named the " Pride of the 
Prairie." Its stalk rising from a tuft of leaves, spreads 
out at the summit into an umbel of drooping flowers, 
ers, with delicate petals of pure white, tinged by reflec- 



38 

tion from the cone of deep purple stamens, blending 
elegance and variety into a pattern of floral beauty. 

Nor will the sensitive pea, (Cassia Chamaerista,) run 
any risk of being neglected by a passing notice ; it will, 
no doubt, receive at the hands of every observer a proper 
tribute to its beauty. 

Other plants, equally worthy of an extended notice, 
some of them particularly interesting to the botanist, in 
a geographical point of view, we shall only indicate by 
name. 

Androsace, occidentalis. — Davenport and Rock Island. 

Anemone Carolmiana. — With the above. 

Batschia, longiflora. 

Troxiraori Cuspidatum. 

Henchesa Richardsonii. 

AUionia Nyctaginea. 

Silene Nivea. 

Artemesia, Ludoviciana, 

Baptisia, Lucophoa, and Leucantha. 
Davenport, January, 1848. 

The Public Lands. 

It is hardly necessary to state that a large proportion 
of the land in Iowa, including some of the finest lands in 
almost every county, is still a part of the pubhc domain. 

All the lands are surveyed by Govefnment Surveyors, 
under the direction of the Sur^^eyor General, before being 
offered for sale. The method of admeasming and mark- 
ing is as follows : — The land is divided into Town- 
ships of six miles square, and each Township is subdi- 
vided into thirty-six sections of one mile square. The 



39 

sections are again divided into quarter, half -quarter , and 
quarter quarter sections ; each section and quarter sec- 
tion being, marked by blazing a tree, as the technical 
phrase is for marking it with an axe ; or if the corner to 
be marked is in the prairie, by driving a stake and throw- 
ing up a sod, marking at the same. time on the tree or 
stake the number of the Township and section. All the di- 
viding Knes run according to the cardinal points, and cross 
each other at right angles. The Townships are numbered 
South and North, from a base line, and the North and 
South ranges are numbered on both sides of arbitrary me- 
ridians East and West. The sections in each Township 
are numbered, beginning at the North-east section for 
number one, running West and alternately East, termin- 
ating with number 36 in the South-east corner. Section 
number 16, in each Township, is appropriated to the sup- 
port of pubUc schools, and is transferred to the State for 
that purpose. A Township contains six square miles, or 
23,040 acres ; a section, one square mile, or 640 acres j 
a quarter section, 160 acres. The Map accompanying this 
volume shows the Township lines in Iowa, with the num- 
bers and ranges. 

After the land has been surveyed, it is offered at public 
sale to the highest bidder ; but is not allowed to be sold 
below the minimum price of one dollar and a quarter per 
acre. Such tracts as are not sold at that time may at 
any time afterwards be purchased at the minimum price 
at private sale. The smallest quantity that can be entered 
is forty acres, or a quarter quarter section, and the price 
must be paid in cash at the time of entry. 



40 

Inlbrmation for Iiiimigi'auts. 

By the Constitution of Iowa, resident foreigners enjoy 
the same rights in respect to the possession, eijjoyment, 
and descent of property, as native bom citizens. The 
lands in that State are thus freely thrown open to immi- 
grants from all countries. For the trifling sum of ^1 25 
per acre, the settler obtains the absolute ownership of 
land, which is, perhaps, unsurpassed for agricultural pur- 
poses by any in the world. The cost of breaking the 
prairie in the older parts of Iowa is from ^1 50 to ^2 
per acre. Rails may be obtained at from ^1 to ^2 per 
hundred, according to the distance from which they are 
brought. The cost of a cabin may be set down at from 
^50 to ^150, depending, of course, upon the size and 
manner of building. Log cabins are most in use, but 
more substantial and more comfortable dwellings can be 
made, at no great expense, of brick, which can be pro- 
cured at from $4 to ^4 50 per thousand. Horses are 
worth from $40 to $60, Cows $10 to $12. Sufficient 
pasturage and hay may, in most places, be procured from 
the public lands. In consequence of the greater richness 
of the soil and its freedom from stumps and stones, the 
land requires much less labor than in the Eastern States^ 
and the farmer's life is a much less toilsome one. 

It will be seen from the above brief statement, with 
how small means the settler may create a home and en- 
sure to himself at least a comfortable subsistence. It is 
not merely to farmers that the field is opened — ^mechanics 
of all kinds are greatly needed ; common day labourers 
are sure to find employment ; and, indeed, it may be sate- 



41 

ly said that no person of ordinary intelligence and indus- 
try, however poor he may be, need hesitate to seek his 
fortune in riie West. How vastly thousands might better 
their condition by so doing, who are now dragging out a 
miserable existence in the crowded and unwholesome 
lanes of our Atlantic cities, it is almost superfluous to add. 
The following remarks, extracted from " Peck's Guide 
to the West," may be read with advantage by all who 
intend to settle in the Western country : — 

" Much disease, especially in the more recently settled 
parts of this country, is consequent to neglecting sunple 
and comfortable precautionary means ; sometimes this 
neglect is owing to misdirected industry, and at others to 
laziness or evil habits. 

" To have a dry house, if it be a log one, with the 
openings between the logs well filled up, so that it may . 
be kept warm in winter ; to fill up all the holes in its vi- 
cinity which may contain stagnant water ; to have a good 
clean spring or well, sufficient clothing, and a reasonable 
supply of provisions, should be the first object of a settler's 
attention. But frequently a Httle wet smoky cabin or 
hovel is erected, with the floor scarcely separated from 
the ground, and admitting the damp and unwholesome 
air. All hands that can work are impelled by the father's 
example, to labor beyond their strength, and more land 
is cleared and planted with corn than is well tended ; for 
over-exertion, change in the manner of living, and the 
influence of other debilitating causes, bring sickness on at 
least a part of the family before the summer is half over. 
****** 

" Many persons, on moving into the back woods, who 
have been accustomed to the decencies of life, think it is 
little matter how they live, because no one seestfiem. 
Thus we have known a family of some opulence to reside 
for years in a cabin unfit for the abode of any human be-* 

V* 



42 

ing, because they could not find time to build a house ; 
and whenever it rained hard the females were necessarily 
engaged in rolling the beds from one comer of the room 
to another, in order to save them from the water that 
poured in through the roof This cabin was intended at 
first as only a very temporary residence, and v/as erected 
on the edge of a swamp, for the convenience of being 
near to a spring. How unreasonable must such people 
be if they expect health I" 

Blis&issippi and Slisscuri Railroatl. 
On the 25th of October, 1847, Messrs. James Grant, 
Antoine Le Claire and G. C. R. Mitchell, of Davenport, . 
formed a Company under the the name and style of 
" Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Company," with a 
capital of two millions of dollars, for the purpose of con- 
structing a Railroad from Davenport, on the Mississippi, 
via Iowa City and Fort Des Moines, to the Missouri 
River, at or near Council Bluffs. An appUcation has or 
will be made to Congress by this Company for a grant of 
land, say each alternate section on both sides of the con- 
templated road. Should they succeed in obtaining it, 
there is little doubt that the road will be speedily con- 
structed. The immense benefit which it will confer on 
our young and flourishing State can be seen by a glance 
at the route, as laid down on the accompanying Map. It 
will form a hnk in the great chain of roads connecting 
the Atlantic and Pacific, and will bring some of the rich- 
est farming country in Iowa in close connection with the 
Eastern States. 

Atlantic Rnd Mississippi Valley Railroad. 
The necessity of an iron highway from the northern 
Atlantic cities, to the east bank of the Upper Mississippi 



43 

River, at some point between the fortieth and forty-third 
parallel of latitude, is generally felt and conceded. 

The already heavy and rapidly growing population of 
northern and central Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, together 
with the people of central and southern Michigan and Wis- 
consin, as well as the entire population of Iowa, feel deep- 
ly the want of a continuous iron thoroughfare of trade and 
travel from the Atlantic to the mighty Valley of the West. 
All seem to concede the necessity and importance of 
the avenue referred to. The agricultural resources of the 
Valley of the Upper Mississippi are boundless. In a few 
short years, the annual surplus of breadstuifs and provi- 
sions raised in the regions described, will yield an aggre- 
gate not now appreciated. 

Preparations must therefore be speedily inade to for- 
nish a channel, open at all seasons of the year, by which 
the surplus products of the " Great Granary" may reach 
our Eastern markets. Numerous routes have been sug- 
gested for the main hne of the projected thoroughfare. In 
seTecting the hne for the principal trunk, great care (in 
our humble judgment) should be observed, to traverse, as 
nearly as practicable, the CENTRE of our mighty'west- 
ern granary. The hne proposed by the Buffalo and Mis- 
sissippi Company, follows, we believe, the southern shore 
of Lake Erie, westward to Toledo, and thence westward 
through the line of counties of northern Indiana, to Michi- 
gan city. This route would answer, though another south 
of it would be decidedly preferable, for many reasons. 
Steuben county, the extreme north-east§rn county of In- 
diana, is extremely broken, and consequently the grading 



44 

within the limits of said county would be expensive. An- 
other and stronger objection is found in the great number 
of streams to bridge, by following the shore of the Lake 
to Toledo. 

A much more eligible route can be found in starting 
the proposed Railroad at Akron, in Ohio, and thence fol- 
lowing the water «hed, or dividing ridge, westward, to 
Fort Wayne, in Indiana, and thence, via Goshen, South 
Bend, and Lapute, to Juliet, in Illinois, and thence, via 
Ottawa and Peru, on the Illinois River, to Rock Island, on 
the Mississippi, in latitude 41 deg. 30 min. north. 

The Legislature of IPdnois, at its last session, incorpor^ 
ated a Company to constract a Railroad from Rock Isl- 
and, via Peru, to the Indiana line. The entire distance 
from Rock Island to Akron is remarkably level, follow- 
ing, as it does, mainly a ridge of land, dividing the w^aters 
of Lakes Erie and Michigan from those of the Ohio and 
Mississippi Rivers. This route we deem the best, for a 
variety of causes. In the first place, the course it would 
traverse is of great evenness of surface ; it is unsurpassed 
in point of agricultural fertiUty ; it is the centre of the 
wheat producing region of the Upper Mississippi; it 
would be less tortuous than the route recommended by 
the Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad Company, and fol- 
lowing a dividing ridge, there would be fewer streams to 
bridge. 

The maxunum grade, or any portion of it, would not 
exceed ten feet per mile, while on the greater portion the 
grade would not rgach eight feet per mile. 

By commencing the eastern portion of the trunk at 



Akron, Philadelphia could readily reach it from Pitts- 
burg, and New York could also connect it at some point 
on the New York and Erie Road, between Orleans and 
Dunkirk. The Road from Boston to Albany could, with 
very trifling expense, be connected by means of a lateral 
Road, with the New York and Erie Road. 

For nearly five months, in each year, either ice or low 
water operates as an obstacle to the shipment of bread- 
stuffs and provisions on our western rivers and our great 
northern lakes. Even now, though the Upper Missis- 
sippi country is in its infancy, and its productions there- 
fore hmited, much diiiiculty is annually experienced in 
sending to the seaboard the surplus products of the north- 
west. Insurance on sailing vessels employed in the navi- 
gation of the upper lakes expires on or about the middle 
of November, nor are policies^issued, we believe, on such 
vessels at an earlier period of the year than the middle of 
April. The navigation of LaUes Michigan and Huron, 
between November and April, is attended with great 
peril. With regard to the Upper Mississippi and Illinois 
Rivers, it is known that low water and ice prevail through- 
out a moiety of the year. 

The price of freight descending those rivers, during the 
prevalence of low water, operates as an em.bargo. Dur- 
ing the past fall, thirty cents per bushel was paid for the 
transit of wheat, from the Upper Rapids to St. Loui?, a 
distance of three hundred and forty miles. 

In the event of the construction of a suitable iron high- 
way from tlie Atlantic to the Mississippi, by the routes 
indicated, the breadstuffs, provisions, and other products 



46 

•of the great Valley, would reach the principal Atlantic 
cities in less than four days. Were the proposed Road 
now in operation, flour, to the extent of three millions of 
barrels, would be transported on it in the coming year. 
At the same rates as charged on the Reading Road, pro- 
duce could be transported on the proposed highway, from 
the Mississippi River to New York, at less than $14 per 
ton. On the Upper Mississippi River, a few days past, 
the highest prices paid for provisions and breadstuffs, from 
Keokuck to Galena, ranged as follows : 

Wheat, best winter, . 50 cents per bushel. 

Corn, ... 15 cents do. 

Pork, over 200 lbs. . 2 cents per pound. 

Beef, .' . . 2h cents do. 

Venison, haunches, . 3 cents do. 

Flour, . . $3 ,50 to $4 GO per barrel. 
Could we open an iron avenue from the East to the 
West, our Atlantic markets would, at all seasons, be 
bountifully suppUed with the surplus products of the Great 
West ; and in a very few years after its completion, the 
aggregate tonnage transported on this great thoroughfare 
would reach the tonnage now annually transported on 
the Erie Canal. 

Our fellow-citizens of the East should liberally contri- 
bute to further the construction of the proposed great 
higljway. 



CONSTITUTION 



STATE OF IO¥A 



ARTICLE I. 

PREAMBLE AND BOUNDARIES. 

We, the People of the Territory of Iowa, grateful to the 
Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and 
feeling our dependence on Hun for a continuation of 
those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and inde- 
pendent government, by the name of the State of Iowa, 
the boundaries whereof shall be as follows : 
Beginning in the middle of the main channel of the 
Mississippi River, at a point due east of the middle of the 
mouth of the main channel of the Des Moines River; 
thence up the middle of the main channel of the said Des 
Moines River, to a point on said river where the northern 
boundary hne of the State of Missouri, as estabhshed by 
the Constitution of that State, adopted June 12th, 1820, 
crosses the said middle of the main channel of the said 
Des Moines River ; thence westwardly, along the said 
northern boundary line of the State of Missouri, as estab- 
lished at the time aforesaid, until an extension of said line 
intersect the middle of the main channel of the Missouri 
River ; thence up the middle of the main channel of the 
said Missouri River, to a point opposite the middle of the 
main channel of the Big Sioux River, according to Nicol- 
lett's map ; thence up the main channel of the said Big 
Sioux River, according to said map, until it is intersected 



48 

by the parallel of forty-three degrees and tliirty minutes 
north latitude ; thence east, along said parallel of forty- 
three degrees and thirty minutes, until said parallel inter- 
sect the middle of the main channel of the Mississippi 
River ; thence down the middle of ti^e main channel of- 
said Mississippi River, to the place of beginning. 

ARTICLE II. 

BILL OF RIGHTS. 

1. All men are, by nature, free and independent, and 
have certain inalienable rights, among which are those of 
enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possess- 
ing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining 
safety and happinpss. 

2. All pohtical power is inherent in the people. Gov- 
ernment is instituted for the protection, security, and be- 
nefit of the people ; and they have the right at all times 
to alter or reform the same, whenever the public good 
may require it. 

3. The General Assembly shall make no law respect- 
ing an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free 
exercise thereof, nor shall any person be compelled to 
attend any place of w^orship, pay tithes, taxes, or other 
rates, for building or repairing places of worship, or for 
the maintenance of any minister or ministry. 

4. No rehgious test shall be required as a qualification 
for any office or pubhc trust, and no person shall be de- 
privjed of any of his rights, privileges, or capacities, or dis- 
qualified from the performance of any of his public or 
private duties, or rendered incompetent to give evidence 
in any court of law or equity, in consequence of liis opin- 
ions on the subject of rehgion. 

5. Any citizen of this State, who may hereafter be en- 
gaged, either directly or indirectly, in a duel, either as 
principal or accessary, before the fact, shall forever be 
disqualified from holding any office under the constitution 
and laws of this State. 



I 



49 

6. All laws of a general nature shall have a uniform 
operation. 

7. Every person may speak, write, and publish his 
^ sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse 

of that right. No law shall be passed to restrain or abridge 
the liberty of speech or of the press. In all prosecutions 
or indictments for libel, the truth may be given to the jury, 
and if it appear to the jury that the matter charged as 
libelous was true, and was published with good motives, 
and for justifiable ends, the party shall be acquitted. 

8. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, 
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable seizures 
and searches, shall not be violated, and no warrant shall 
issue, but on probable cause, supported by oath or affir- 
mation , particularly describing the place to be searched, 
and the papers and things to be seized. 

9. The right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate ; but 
the General Assembly may authorize trial by jury of a less 
number than twelve men in inferior courts. 

10. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have 
a right to a speedy trial, by an impartial jury, to be in- 
formed of the accusation against him, to be confronted 
with the witnesses against him, to have compulsory pro- 
cess for liis own witnesses, and to have the assistance of 
counsel. 

11. No person shall be held to answer for a criminal 
offence, unless on presentment or indictment by a grand 
jury, except in cases cognizable by justices of the peace, 
or arising in the army and navy, or in the militia when in 
actual service, in time of war, or public dangen 

12. No person shall, after acquittal^ be tried for the 
same offence. All persons shall, before conviction, be 
bailable, by sufficient sureties, except for capital offences, 
where the proof is evident, or the presumption great. 

13. The writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspend- 
ed, unless, in aase of rebellion or invasion, the public safety 
requires it. 

E 



50 

14. The military shall be subordinate to the civil power. 
No standing army shall be kept up by the State in time 
of peace, and in lime of war no appropriation for a stand- 
ing array shall be for a longer time than two years. 

15. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in 
any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time 
of war, except in the manner prescribed by law. 

16. Treason against the State shall consist only in 
levying war against it, adhering to its enemies, or giving 
them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of 
treason unless on evidence of two witnesses lo the same 
overt act, or confession in open court. 

17. Excessive bail shall not be required. Excessive- 
fines shall not be imposed ; and cruel and unusual punish- 
ments shall not be inflicted . 

18. Private property shall not be taken for pubUc use 
without just compensation. 

19. No person shall be imprisoned for debt in any civil 
action on mesne, or final process, unless in cases of fraud ; 
and no person shall be imprisoned for a military fine in 
time of peace. 

20. The people have the right freely to assemble to- 
gether to consult for the common good, to make known 
their opinions to their representatives, and to petition for 
redress of grievances. 

21. No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law 
impairing the obligation of contracts, shall ever be passed. 

22. Foreigners who are, or who may hereafter become 
residents of this State, shall enjoy the same rights, in re- 
spect to the possession, enjoyment, and descent of proper- 

' ty, as native born citizens. 

23. Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, unless 
for the punishment of crimes, shall ever be tolerated in 
this State. 

24. This enumeration of rights shall not be construed 
to iinpare or deny others, retained by the people. 



51 

ARTICLE in. 

RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE. 

1. Every white male citizen of the United Slates, of 
the age of twenty-one years, who shall have been a resi- 
dent of the State six months next preceding the election, 
and the county in which he claims his vote twenty days, 
shall be entitled to vote at all elections which are now or 
hereafter may be authorized by law. 

2. Electors «hall, in all cases, except treason, felony, or 
breach of the peace, j^e privileged from arrest on the days 
of election, during their attendance at such an election, 
going to and returning thereliom. 

3. No elector shall be obliged to perform militia duty 
on the day of election, except in time of war, or public 
danger. 

4. No person in the military, naval, or marine service 
of the United States, shall be considered a resident of this 
State by being stationed in any garrison, barrack, or mili- 
tiry or naval place or station within this State. 

5. No idiot or insane person, or persons convicted of 
any infamous crime, shall be entitled to the privileges of 
an elector. 

6. All elections by the people, shall be by ballot. 

ARTICLE IV. 

OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF POWER. 

1. The powers of the government of Iowa shall be 
divided into three separate departments ; the legislative, 
the executive, and judicial ; and no person charged with 
the exercise of powers properly belonging to one of these 
departments, shall exercise any function appertaining to 
either of the others, except in cases hereinafter expressly 
directed or permitted. 

LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT. 

1. The Legislative authority of this State shall be vest- 
ed in a Senate and House of Representatives, which shall 
be designated the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, 



52 

and the style of their laws shall commence in the fol- 
lowing manner : " Be it enacted by the General Assem- 
bly of the State of Iowa." 

2. The sessions of the General Assembly shall be bien- 
nial, and shall commence on the first Monday of December 
next ensuing the .election of its members ; unless the 
Governor of the Stale shall, in the interim, convene the 
General Assembly by proclamation. 

3. The members of the House of Repregentatives shall 
be chosen every second year, by the qualified electors of 
their respective districts, on the first Monday in August, 
whose term of office shall continue two years from the 
day of the general election. 

4. No person shall be a member of the House of Re- 
presentatives who shall not have attained the age of 
twenty-one years ; be a free white male citizen of the 
United States, and have been an inhabitant of this State 
or Territory one year next preceding his election ; and at 
the time of his election, have an actual residence of thirty 
days in the county or district he may be chosen to repre- 
sent. 

5. Senators shall be chosen for the term of four years, 
at the same time and place as Representatives ; they 
shall be twenty-five years of age, and possess the quah- 
fications of Representatives as to residence and citizen- 
ship. 

6. The number of Senators shall not be less than one- 
third, nor more than one half of the Representative body, 
and at the first session of the General Assembly after this 
Constitution takes effect, the Senators shall be divided by 
lot, as equally as may be, into two classes ; the seats of 
the Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the ex- 
piration of the second year, so that one half shall be cho- 
sen every two years. 

7. When the number of Senators is increased, they 
shall be annexed by lot, to one of the two classes, so as to 
keep them as nearly equal in number as practicable. 

8. Eadi house shall choose its own officers, and judge 



53 

of the qualification, election, and return of its own mem- 
bers. A eontested election shall be detemiined in such 
manner as sjiall be directed by law. 

9. A majority of each house shall constitute a quorum 
to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from 
day to day, and may compel the attendance of absent 
members in such manner, and under such penalties, as 
each house may provide. 

10. Each house shall sit upon its own adjournments, 
keep a journal of its proceedings, and pubhsh the same ; 
determine its rules of proceedings, punish members for 
disorderly behaviour, and, with the consent of two-thirds, 
expel a member, but not a second time for the same 
offence, and shall have all other powers necessary for a 
branch of the General Assembly of a free and independent 
State. 

11. Every member of the General Assembly shall have 
the liberty to dissent from, or protest against, any act or 
resolution which he may think injurious to the public, or 
an individual, and have the reasons of his dissent entered 
on the journals ; and the yeas and nays of the members 
6f either house, on any question, shall, at the desire of 
any two members present, be entered on the journals. 

12. Senators and Representatives, in all cases except 
treason, felony, or breach of the peace, ghall be privileged 
from arrest during the session of the General Assembly, 
and in going to and returning from the same. 

13. When vacancies occur in either house, the Gov- 
ernor, or the person exercising the function of Governor, 
shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. 

14. The doors of each house shall be open, except on 
^ch occasion as, in the opinion of the house, may require 
secrecy. 

15. Neither house shall, without the consent of the 
other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other 
place than that in which they may be sitting. 

16. Bills may originate in either house, except bills for 
revenue, which shall always originate in the House of 



54 

Representatives, and nnay be amended, altered or rejected 
by the other, and every bill having passed both houses, 
shall be signed by the Speaker and President of their 
yespective houses. 

17. Every bill which shall have passed the General 
Assembly shall, before it become a law, be presented to 
the Governor. If he approve, he shall sign it, but if not, 
he shall return it, with his objections, to the house in 
which it originated, which shall enter the same upon the 
journal, and proceed to reconsider it ; if, after such recon- 
sideration, it again pass both houses, by yeas and nays, 
by a majority of two-thirds of the members of each house 
present, it shall become a law, notwithstanding the Gov- 
ernor's objections. If any bill shall not be returned with- 
in three days after it shall have been presented to him, 
Sundays excepted, the same shall be a law in like man- 
ner as if he had signed it, unless the General Assembly, 
by adjournment, prevent such return. 

18. An accurate statement of the receipts and expend- 
itures of the public money shall be attached to, and pub- 
lished with the laws, at every regular session of the 
General Assembly. 

19. The House of Representatives shall have the sole 
power of impeaciament, and all impeachments shall be 
tried by the Senate. When sitting for that purpose, the 
Senators shall be upon oath or affirmation, and no person 
shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds 
of the members present. 

20. The Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Trea- 
surer, and Judges of the Supreme and District Courts, 
shall be liable to impeachment for any misdemeanor in 
office ; but judgment in such cases shall extend only to 
removal from office, and disqualification to hold any office 
of honor, trust, or profit under this State ; but the party 
convicted or acquitted, shall, nevertheless, be hable to in- 
dictment, trial, and punishment, according to law. All 
other civil officers shall be tried for misdemeanors in 



office in such manner as the General Assembly may pro- 
vide. 

21. No Senator or Representative shall, during the 
time for which he shaU have been elected, be appointed 
to any civil office of profit under this State, which shall 
have been created, or the emoluments of which shall have 
been increased, during such term, except such offices as 
may be filled by elections by the people. 

22. No person holding any lucrative office under the 
United States, or this State, or any other power, shall be 
ehgible to the General Assembly: Provided, That 
offices in the militia, to which there is attached no annual 
salary, or the office of justice of the peace, or post mas- 
ters whose compensation does not exceed one hundred 
dollars per ajinum, shall not be deemed lucrative. 

23. No person who may hereafter be a collector or 
holder of public moneys, shall have a seat in either house 
of the General Assembly, or be eligible to any office of 
trust or profit under this State, until he shall have ac- 
counted for and paid into the treasury, all sums for which 
he may be liable. 

24. No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in 
consequence of appropriations made by law. 

25. Each member of the General Assembly shall re- 
ceive a compensation to be fixed by law, for his services, 
to be paid out of the treasury of the State. Such com- 
pensation shall not exceed two dollars per day, for the 
period of fifty days from the commencement of the ses- 
sion, and shall not exceed the sum of one dollar per day 
for the remainder of the session ; when convened in extra 
session by the Governor, they shall receive such sum as 
shall be fixed for the first fifty days of the ordinary session. 
They shall also receive two dollars for every twenty miles 
they travel, in going to and returning from their place of 
meeting, on the most usual route : Provided, however, 
That the members of the first General Assembly under 
this Constitution shall receive two dollars per day for their 
services during the entire session. 



56 

26. Every law shall embrace but one object, which 
shall be embraced in the title. 

27. No law of the General Assembly, of a public na- 
ture, shall take effect until the same shall be published 
and circulated in the several counties of this State, by 
authority. If the General Assembly shall deem any law 
of immediate importance, they may provide that the same 
shall take effect by pubUcation in newspapers of the 
State. 

28. No divorce shall be granted by the General As- 
sembly. 

29. No lottery shall be authorized by this State, nor 
shall the sale of lottery tickets be allowed. 

30. Members of the General Assembly shall, before 
they enter upon the duties of their respective offices, take 
and subscribe the following oath or affirmation : I do 
solemnly swear, or affirm, (as the case may be,) that I 
will support the Constitution of the United States, and 
the Constitution of the State of Iowa, and that I will 
faithfully discharge the duties of Senator, (or Represen- 
tative, as the case may be,) according to the best of my 
ability. And members of the General Assembly are here- 
by empowered to administer to each other the said oath 
or affirmation. 

31. Within one year after the ratification of this Con- 
stitution, and within every subsequent term of two years, 
for the term of eight years, an enumeration of all the 
white inhabitants of this State shall be made in such 
manner as shall be directed by law. The number of 
Senators and Representatives shall, at the first regular 
session of the General Assembly, after such enumeration, 
be fixed by law, and apportioned among the several coun- 
ties, according to the number of white inhabitants in each, 
and shall also, at every subsequent regular session, ap- 
portion the House of Representatives, and every other 
regular session of the Senate, for eight years ; and the House 
of Representatives shall never be less than twenty-six, 
nor greater than thirty-nine, until the number of white 



57 

jnhabitants shall be one hundred and seventy-tive thou- 
sand ; and after that event, at such ratio that the whole 
number of Representatives shall never be less than thirty- 
nine, nor exceeding seventy-two. 

32. When a Congressional, Senatorial, or Representa- 
tive district shall be composed of two or more counties, it 
shall not be entirely separated by any county belonging 
to another district ; and no county shall be divided in 
forming a Congressional, Senatorial, or Represenlative 
district. 

33. In all elections by the General Assembly, the 
members thereof shall vote viva voce, and the votes shall 
be entered on the journal. 

34. For the first ten years after the organization of the 
government, the annual salary of the Governor shall not 
exceed one thousand dollars ; Secretary of State, five 
hundred dollars ; Treasurer, four hmidred dollars ; Audi- 
tor, six hundred dollars: Judges of the Supreme and Dis- 
trict Courts, each one thousand dollars. 

ARTICLE V. 

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT. 

1. The Supreme Executive power of this State shall 
be vested in a Chief Magistrate, who shall be styled 
the Governor of the State of Iowa. 

2. The Governor shall be elected by the qualified elec- 
tors, at the time and place of voting for members of the 
General Assembly, and shall hold his oflice four years 
from the time of his installation, and until his successor 
shall be qualified. 

3. No person shall be eligible to the office of Governor, 
who h3s not been a citizen of the United States, and a 
resident of the State two years next preceding the elec- 
tion, and attained the age of thirty years at the time of 
said election. 

4. The returns of every election for Governor shall be 
sealed u^ and transmitted to the seat of Government, di- 
rected to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 



58 

who shall, during the first week of tlie session, open and 
publish them in presence of both Houses of the General 
Assembly. The person having the highest number of 
votes, shall be Governor ; but in case any two or more 
have an equal and the highest number of votes, the Gen- 
eral Assembly shall, by joint ballot, choose one of said 
persons so having an equal and the highest number of 
votes, for Governor. 

5. The Governor shall be Commander-in-Chief of the 
Militia, the Army and Navy of this State. 

6. He shall transact all executive business, with the 
officers of Government, civil and military, and may re- 
quire information in wilting from the officers of the exec- 
utive department upon any subject relating to the duties 
of their respective offices. 

7. He shall see that the laws are faithfully executed. 

8. When any office shall from any cause become va- 
cant, and no mode is provided by the constitution and 
laws for filling such vacancy, the Governor shall have 
power to fill such vacancy, by granting a commission 
which shall expire at the end of the next session of the 
General Assembly, or at the next election by the people. 

9. He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the 
General Assembly by proclamation, and shall state to 
both Houses, when assembled, the purposes for which they 
shall have been convened. 

10. He shall communicate by message to the General 
Assembly, at every session, the condition of the State, 
and recommend such matters as he shall deem expedient. 

11. In case of disagreement between the two Houses, 
with respect to the time of adjournment, the Governor 
shall have power to adjourn the General Assembly to 
such time as he may think proper, provided it be not be- 
yond the time fixed for the meeting of the next General 
Assembly. 

,12. No person shall, while holding any other office 
under the United States, or this State, execute the office 
of Governor, except as hereinafter expressly provided. 



59 

13. The Governor riliall have power to grant reprieves 
and pardons, and commute punishments after conviction, 
except in cases of impeaclmient. 

14. The Governor shall, at stated limes, receive for his 
services a compensation which shall neither be increased 
nor diminished during the time for which he shall have 
been elected. 

15. There shall be a seal of this State, which shall be 
kept by the Governor, and used by him officially, and 
shall be called the Great Seal of the State of Iowa. 

16. All grants and commissions shall be in the name 
and by the authority of the people of the State of Iowa, 
sealed with the great seal of this State, signed by the 
Governor and countersigned by the Secretary of State. 

17. A Secretary of State, Auditor of Pubhc Accounts, 
and Treasurer, shall be elected by the qualified electors, 
who shall continue in office two years. The Secretary of 
State shall keep a fair register of all the official acts of 
the Governor, and shall, when required, lay the same, to- 
gether with all papers, minutes, and vouchers, relative 
thereto, before either branch of the General Assembly, 
and shall perform such other duties as shall be assigned 
him by law. 

18. In case of the impeachment of the Governor, his 
removal from office, death, resignation, or absence from 
the State, the powers and duties of the office shall devolve 
upon the Secretary of State, until such disabihty shall 
cease, or the vacancy be filled. 

19. If, during the vacancy of the office of Governor, 
the Secretary of State shall be impeached, displaced, re- 
sign, die, or be absent from the State, the powers and 
duties of the office of Governor shall devolve upon the 
President of the Senate ; and should a vacancy occur by 
impeachment, death, resignation, or absence from the 
State, of the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives shall act as Governor till the 
vacancy be filled. 



6D 

ARTICLE VI. 

JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT. 

1. The Judicial power shall be vested in a Supreme 
Court, District Courts, and such inferior Courts, as the 
General Assembly may from time to time establish. 

2. The Supreme Court shall consist of a Chief Justice 
and two Associates, two of whom shall be a quorum to 
hold a Court. 

3. The Judges of the Supreme Court shall be elected by 
joint vote of both branches of the General Assembly, and 
shall hold their Courts at such time and place as the Gen- 
eral Assembly may direct, and hold their offices for six 
years, and until their successors are elected and qualified, 
and shall be inehgible to any other office during the term 
for which they may be elected. The Supreme Court 
shall have appellate jurisdiction only in all cases in chan- 
cery, and shall constitute a court for the correction of 
errors at lav/, under such restrictions as the General As- 
sembly may by law prescribe. The Supreme Court shall 
have power to issue all writs and process necessary to do 
justice to parties, and exercise a supemsory control over 
all inferior judicial tribunals, and the Judges of the Su- 
preme Court shall be conservators of the peace throughout 
the State. 

4. The District Court shall consist of a Judge who 
shall be elected by the qualified voters of the district in 
which he resides, at the township election, and hold his 
office for the term of five years, and until his successor is 
duly elected and quahfied, and shall be ineligible to any 
other office during the term for whiclvhe may be elected. 
The District Court shall be a court of law and equity, and 
have jurisdiction in all civil aud criminal matters arising in 
their respective districts, in such manner as shall be pre- 
scribed by law. The Judges of the District Court shall 
be conservators of the peace in their respective districts. 
The first session of the General Assembly shall divide the 
State into four districts, which may be increased as the 
exigencies require. 



61 

5. The qualified voters of each county shall, at the 
general election, elect one Prosecuting Attorney, and one 
Clerk of the District Court, who shall be residents therein, 
and who shall hold their several offices for the term of 
two years, and until their successors are elected and 
qualified. 

6. The style of all the process shall be " The State of 
Iowa," and all prosecutions shall be conducted in the name 
and by authority of the same. 

ARTICLE VII. 



1. The militia of this State shall be composed of all 
able-bodied wliite male citizens between the ages of 
eighteen and forty-five years, except such as are, or may 
hereafter be, exempt by the laws of the United States, 
or of this State, and shall be armed, equipped, and trained 
as the General Assembly may provide by law. 

2. No person or persons, conscientiously scrupulous of 
bearing arms, shall be compelled to do militia duty, in 
time of peace ; provided that such person or persons shall 
pay an equivalent for such exemption in the same manner 
as other citizens. 

3. All commissioned officers of the militia, (staff offi- 
cers excepted,) shall be elected by the persons liable to 
perform military fluty, and shall -be commissioned by the 
Governor. 

ARTICLE VIII. 

STATE DEBTS. 

1. The General Assembly shall not, in any maimer, 
€reHte-any debt or debts, liability or liabilities, which shall 
singly, or in the aggregate, with any previous debts or 
liabilities, exceed the sum of one hundred thousand dol- 
lars, except in case of w*, to repel invasion, or suppress 
insurrection, unless the same shall be authorized by some 
law for some single object or work to be distinctly 
specified therein, which law shall provide ways and 



means, exclusive of loans, for the payment of the interest 
of such debt or liability, as it falls due, and also to pay 
and discharge the principal of such debt or liabihty 
within twenty years from the time of contracting thereof, 
and shall be irrepealable until the principal and the 
interest thereon shall be paid and discharged ; but no 
such law shall take effect until, at a general election, it 
shall have been submitted to the people, and have received 
a majority of all the votes cast for and against it, at such 
election ; and all money raised by authority of such law, 
shall be apphed only to the specific object therein stated, 
or to the payment of the debt thereby created, and such 
law shall be published in at least one newspaper in each 
judicial district, if one is published therein ; throughout 
the State, for three months preceding the election at which 
it is submitted to the people. 

ARTICLE IX. 

INCORPORATIONS. 

1. No coporate body shall hereafter be created, re- 
newed, or extended, with the privilege of making, issuing, 
or putting into circulation, any bill, check, ticket, certifi- 
cate, promissory note, or other paper, or the paper of any 
bank, to circulate as money. The General Assembly of 
this State shall prohibit, by law, any person or persons, 
association, company, or corporation, frofh exercising the 
privileges of banking, or creating paper to circulate as 
money. 

2. Corporations shall not be created in the State by 
special laws, except for political or municipal purposes ; 
but the General Assembly shall provide, by general laws, 
for the organization of all other corporations, except cor- 
porations with banking privileges, the creation of which 
is prohibited. The stockholders* shall be subject to such 
habihties and restrictions as shall be provided by law. 
The State shall not, directly or indirectly, become a stock- 
holder in any corporation. 



63 
ARTICLE X. 

EDUCATION AND SCHOOL LANDS. 

1. The General Assembly shall provide for the election, 
by the people, of a Superintendent of Public Instruction, 
who shall hold his office for three years, and whose du- 
ties shall be prescribed by law, and who shall receive such 
compensation as the General Assembly may direct. 

2. The General Assembly shall encourage, by all suit- 
able means, the promotion of intellectual, scientific, moral 
and agricultural improvement. The proceeds of all lands 
that have been, or hereafter may be granted by the United 
States to this State, for the purpose of schools, which shall 
"hereafter be sold or disposed of, and the five hundred 
thousand acres of land granj^ to the new States, under 
an Act of Congress, distributBg the proceeds of the pubUc 
lands among the several States of the Union, approved 
A. D. 1841, and all estates of deceased persons, who may 
have died without leaving a will or heir ; and also such 
per cent, as may be granted by Congress on the sale of 
lands in this State, shall be and remain a perpetual fond, 
the interest of which, together with all the rents of the 
unsold lands, and such other means as the General As- 
sembly may provide, shall be inviolably appropriated to 
the support of common schools throughout the State. 

3. The General Assembly shall provide for a system 
of common schools, by which a school shall be kept up 
and supported m each school district, at least three months 
in every year ; and any school district neglecting to keep 
up and support such a school, may be deprived of its 
proportion of the interest of the public fond during such 
neglect. 

4. The money which shall be paid by persons as an 
equivalent for exemption from miUtary duty, and the clear 
proceeds of all fines collected in the several counties for 
any breach of the penal laws, shall be exclusively applied, 
in the several counties in which such money is paid or 
fine collected, among the several school districts of said 



64 

counties, in proportion to the number of inhabitants in 
such districts, to the support of common schools, or the 
establishment of libraries, as the General Assembly shall, 
from time to time, provide by law. 

5. The General Assembly shall take measures for the 
protection, improvement, or other disposition of such 
lands as have been, or may hereafter be reser\^ed or grant- 
ed by the United States, or any person or persons, to the 
State for the use of a University ; and the funds accruing 
from the rents or sale of such lands, or from any other 
source, for the purpose aforesaid, shall be and remain a 
permanent fund, the interest of which shall be applied to 
the support of said University, with such branches as the 
public convenience may hereafter demand for the promo- 
tion of literature, the arts, and sciences, as may be au- 
thorized by the terms of 3^00. grant. And it shall be the 
duty of the General Assembl^^, as soon as may be, to 
provide effectual means for the improvement and perma- 
nent security of the funds of said University. 

ARTICLE XL 

AMENDMENTS OF THE CONSTITUTION. 

1. If at any time the General Assembly shall think it " 
necessar}- to re\dse or amend this Constitution, they shall 
provide by law for a vote of the people for or against a 
Convention, at the next ensuing election for members of 
the General Assembly ; in case a majority of the people 
vote in favour of a Convention, said General Assembly 
shall provide for an election of Delegates to a Convention, 
to be held within six months after the vote of the people 
in favor thereof. 

ARTICLE XII. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

1. The jurisdiction of Justices of the Peace shall ex- 
tend to all civil cases, (except cases in Chancery, and 
cases where the question of title to any real estate may 
arise,) where the amount in controversy does not exceed 



65 

one hundred dollars, and by the consent of parties may be 
extended to any amount not exceeding five hundred 
dollars. 

2. No new county shall be laid off hereafter, nor old 
county reduced, to less contents than four hundred and 
thirty-two square miles. 

3. The General Assembly shall not locate any of the 
pubHc lands, which have been or may be granted by 
Congress to this State, and the location of which may be 
given to the General Assembly, upon lands actually set- 
tled, without the consent of the occupant. The extent 
of the claim of such occupant so exempted, shall not ex- 
ceed three hundred and twenty acres. 

ARTICLE XIII. 



1. That no inconvenience may arise from the change 
of a Territorial government to a permanent State gov- 
ernment, it is declared that all writs, actions, prosecutions, 
contracts, claims, and rights, shall continue as if no change 
had taken place in this government ; and all process which 
may, before the organization of the judicial department 
under this Constitution, be issued under the authority of 
the Territory of Iowa, shall be as vahd as if issued in the 
name of the State. 

2. All the laws now in force in this Territory, wliich 
are not repugnant to this Constitution, shall remain in 
force until they expire by their own limitations, or be 
altered or repealed by the General Assembly of this State. 

3. All fines, penalties, and forfeitures, accruing to the 
Territory of Iowa, shall accrue to the use of the State. 

4. All recognizances heretofore taken, or which may 
hereafter be taken, before the organization of the judicial 
department under this Constitution, shall remain valid, 
and shall pass to and may be prosecuted in the name of 
the State. And all bonds executed to the Governor of 
this Ten-itory, or to any other officer in his ofiicial capa- 



city, shall pass over to the Governor of tliis State, or other 
proper State authority, and to their successors in office, 
for the uses therein respectively expressed, and may be 
sued for and recovered accordingly. All criminal prose- 
cutions and penal actions which have arisen, or may arise, 
before the organization of the judicial department, under 
this Constitution, and which shall then be pending, may 
be prosecuted to judgment and execution in the name of 
the State. 

5. All officers, civil and military, now holding their 
offices and appointments in this Territory, shall continue 
to hold and execute their respective offices and appoint- 
ments until superceded under this Constitution. 

6. The iirst general election, under this Constitution, 
shaU be held at such tiine as the Governor of the Terri- 
tory, by proclamation, may appoint, within three months 
after its adoption, for the election of a Governor, two Re- 
presentatives in the Congress of the United States, (un- 
less Congress shall provide for the election of one Repre- 
sentative,) members of the General Assembly, and one 
Auditor, Treasurer, and Secretary of State. Said elec- 
tion shall be conducted in accordance with the existing 
election lav>^s of this Territory, and said Governor, Re- 
presentatives in the Congress of the United States, Au- 
ditor, Treasurer, and Secretary of State, duly elected at 
said election, shall continue to discharge the duties of 
their respective offices for the time prescribed by this Con- 
stitution, and until their successors are elected and quali- 
fied. The returns of said election shall be made in con- 
formity to the existing laws of this Territory. 

7. Until the first enumeration of the inhabitants of this 
State, as directed by this Constitution, the following shall 
be the apportionment of the General Assembly : * 

The county of Lee shall be entitled to two Senators, and 
five Representatives ; the county of Van Buren, two Sen- 
ators and four Represftftatives ; the counties of Davis and 
Appanoose, one Senator and one Representative, jointly ; 
the counties of Wapello and Monroe, one Senator, jointly, 



67 

and one Representative, each ; the counties of Marion^ 
Polk, Dallas, and Jasper, one Senator and two Repre- 
sentatives, jointly ; the county of Des Moines, two Sen- 
ators and four Representatives ; the county of Henry, one 
Senator and three Representatives ; the counties of Louisa 
and Washington, one Senator, jointly, and one Represent- 
ative, each ; the counties of Keokuk and Mahaska, one 
Senator, jointly, and one Representative, each ; the coun- 
ties of Muscatine, Johnson, and Iowa, one Senator and 
one Representative, jointly ; and Muscatine one Repre- 
sentative, and Johnson and Iowa one Representative, 
jointly ; the counties of Scott and Clinton, one, Senator, 
jointly, and one Representative, each ; the counties of 
Cedar, Linn and Benton, one Senator, jointly ; the county 
of Cedar one Representntive, and the counties of Linn 
and Benton, one Representative, jointly ; the counties of 
Jackson and Jones, one Senator and two Representatives ; 
the counties of Dubuque, Delaware, Clayton, Fayette, 
Buchanan, and Black Hawk, two Senatom and two Re- 
presentatives, jointly ; and any country attached to any 
county for judiciai purposes, shall, unless otherwise pro- 
vided for, be considered as forming part of such county 
for election purposes. 

8. The first meeting of the General Assembly, under 
this Constitution, shall be at such time as the Governor 
of the Territory may, by proclamation, appoint, within 
four months after its ratification by the people, at Iowa 
City, in Johnson county, which place shall be the seat of 
Government of the State of Iowa, until removed by law. 

Done in Convention, at Iowa City, this 18th day of 
May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight 
hundred and forty-six, and of the Independence of 
the United States the seventieth. 

In Testknony Whereof, We have hereunto subscribed 
our names : 

Ends Lowe, President. 

Attest, Wm. Thompson, Sec. 

Thomas Dibble, Erastug Hoskin, David Galland, Suli- 



68 

fand S. Ross, Shepherd Leffler, Curtis Bates, Wm. G. 
Coop, John Ronalds, Samuel A. Bissell, Socrates H. 
Try on, Wareham G. Clark, William Hubble, John J. 
Selman, George Berry, John Conrey, Josiah Kent, Joseph 
H. Hedrick, Sylvester G. Matson, S. B. Shelledy, James 
Grant, George Hobson, H. P. Haun, Stewart Goodrell, 
Sanford Harned, David Olmstead, G. W. Bowie, Alvin 
Saunders, WilUam Steele, T. McCraney, F. K. O'Ferrall, 
J. Scott Richman. 



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DISTANCES 

OJV THE 

OHIO MD MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, 

FROM PITTSBURGH 

TO THE 

FALLS OF St. ANTHONY. 



PITTSBURGH miles. 

To Economy, 19 

Beaver, IO2 

Georgetown, 15 

Liverpool, 85 

Wellsville, 4 

Steubenville, 17 

Wellsburgh, 7 

Warrenton, 7 

Wheeling, .9 

Sistersville, 55 

Newport,... 12 

Marietta, 18 

Vienna, 6 

Parkersburg, 65 

Troy, 13 

Letart's Rapids,. . . .373 



To Pomeroy, 13 

Pt. Pleasant, 17 

Gallipolis, 4 

Guyandotte, 38 

Burlington, 8 

Portsmouth, '1 3 

Vanceburg, 20 

Maysville,...., ....30 

Ripley, 9 

Augusta, 9 

New Richmond, .... 21 5 

Cincinnati, 22 

North Bend, 16 

Lawrenceburg, 6 

Aurora, 5 

Rising Sun, 10 

Patriot, 13 



72 



To Warsaw, 9 

Vevay and Ghent,. .10 

Carrolton, 8 

Madison, 12 

Utica, 39 

Jf fTersonville, 9 

Louisville, 1 

Portland and 

New Albany, 3 

Salt River, 18 

Brandenburg, 18 

Mauksport, 3 

Leavenworth, 17 

Rome, 40 

Hawsville, 25 

Troy, &- 

Owensboro, 28 

Green River, 285 

Evansville Sh 

Hendersonville,. ... 11 

Mt. Vernon, 26^ 

Wabash River, 21 

Shawneetown, 9 

Cave in Rock, 25 

Golconda, 30 

Smithland, 16 

Paducah, 12 

Cairo,., 50 

UP THE MISSISSIPPL 

Mouth of the Ohio 

To Cape Girardeau,. . .41 

Grand Tower, 27 

Chester, 30 

St. Genevieve 14^ 

Herculaneum, 30^ 



To Jefferson Barracks,. 29 

St. Louis, 10 

Missouri River,. . . .20 

Alton, 5 

Illinois River, 17 

Clarksville, 58 

Louisiana, 12 

Hannibal, 30 

Quincy, 20 

Warsaw, 40 

Keokuk, 4 

Montrose and 

Nauvoo, 12 

Ft. Madison, 9 

Burlington, 22 

Oquawka, 18 

New Boston, 25 

Bloomington, 27 

Rockingham, 27 

Rock Island and 

Davenport, 5 

Parkhurst, 20 

Camanche, 1,2 

Lyons, 9 

Charleston, 15 

Savannah, 2 

Bellevue, 19 

Dubuque, 25 

Peru, 8 

Cassville, 25 

Prairie La Porte, .... 8 
Wisconsin River, ... 17 
Prairie du Chien,. . . .4 
St Peter's River and 

Ft. Snelling, 241 

Falls of St. Anthony,.7 



Ebenezer Cook, Geor&e B. Sargent. 

COOK & SARGENT, 

LAND AGENTS, 

Davenport, Scott County, Iowa. 

We take this method of informing those who may 
be interested in lands in Iowa, that we are permanent- 
ly established in the Agency business, and expect to 
devote our time to it. We have made extensive ar- 
rangements for the purpose of being able, at the shortest 
notice, to furnish any information required in relation 
to the situation and value of any particular tract of land, 
and for the prompt investigation of the title. It is highly 
important to all non-resident land owners that they 
have an agent here acquainted with the laws of the 
State, to give personal attention to the assessment and 
payment of taxes, prevent trespasses, &c., &:.c. Many 
valuable tracts of land have been lost to the owner for 
the want of proper attention in these respects. 

There is probably no better investment to be made 
than in Iowa lands, properly selected ; but such selec- 
tions can only be made by those \\ho are well acquaint- 
ed with the country and the quality of the soil, and who 
naving watched the growth and gradual settlement of 
the State, are thereby able to judge of the comparative 



74 

advantages *of particular portions, with reference to 
future improvements. 

Much of the best land in Iowa is not yet in market, 
and there are now in almost all of the settled parts of 
the State valuable tracts which still belong to the pub- 
lic domain. A peculiarly favorable opportunity for 
investment is now presented by the purchase of War 
"iiKli^arrants for bounty lands, issued under the Act of 
1836. 

Having been residents of the State from its first set- 
tlement, and one of us having been in the service of the 
United States, engaged in making surveys for the last 
five years, we flatter ourselves that we have acquired 
the requisite information to enable us to make such 
selections of land as cannot fail to pay the purchaser a 
satisfactory profit. 

To such as may desire to emigrate from the Eastern 
States, we say that there is no country that hold out 
greater inducements than Iowa. 

We will, at all times, with pleasure, furnish^to emi- 
grants any information or aid in our power, and we feel 
assured that we can render them valuable assistance 
both before and after their arrival. 

COOK & SARGENT. 



EBENEZER COOK, 

ATTOEIEY AT LA¥, 

DAVENPORT, IOWA, 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 





016 093 908 4 • 



